I was so excited to be going to Colorado for some trail riding in my recently acquired 600 sportsman. The first day she fired up just fine and off we went to the trails. I was really impressed with the power and handling, expecially in the rutted and rocky trails. But after about 45 minutes, it just died. Wouldn't start. It was getting fuel, but no spark. So I had one of my buddies tow me back to the cabin so that I could look things over.

Checked all the wiring, connectors, etc. and it all looked in good shape. Still would not start, still no spark. Decided to drink a frosty cold beverage and take a break. Went back an hour later and it fired right up! By this time everyone was returning from a trail ride and we decided to give it another try the next day.

Next day, started right up and off we went. This time it ran great for about 25 minutes and then just died. Same symptoms, no spark. Got towed back to camp again. Looked it all over again, same results, everything looked fine. Borrowed a cousin's 2002 500 HO and went on an epic trail ride up to Cumberland Pass, Tin Cup and quite a few of the trails that branch off of the main roads. Couldn't have had a better time.....unless I could ride my own ATV.

Next day, started right up....now everyone was getting a bit spooked by the ghost in my electrical system. Ran for 10 minutes and just died. Again, no spark....and no clue. Called the area Polaris dealers and couldn't get a straight answer.....just "bring it in and we'll look at it". Frustrated, I just loaded it on the trailer and went exploring in the truck.

I got back to Texas on Monday and figured that it would run just long enough to unload it from the trailer and park it in the garage. Nope, it ran for 15 seconds and then died. No spark.

It's long since out of warranty, so I'm probably going to have to fix this one myself. Has this happened to anyone else? Was there a recall for the '04's for a similar problem? If so, does anyone remember what all had to be replaced/fixed? I'm going to take a look at the stator tonight and follow all of the related wiring to see if anything got pinched or shorted. I'm thinking that this is the best place to start.

Thanks....

 

I believe there is a bulletin on that machine . Last time I saw this problem Polaris sent out a whole new style complete ignition . I can't type more right now ---- I will be back late tonight with more details .


Rick

 

Great! Thanks!

 

The only thing I can say for now is to get yourself shop manual. They will run you some heavy bucks but it will pay for it's self quickly in the labour you will save doing the work yourself. There are 4 places most commonly known to all atv's that would account for this problem. 1 Coil failing when hot 2. Stator failing when hot...there are a series of tests you can do for the stator to check resistance values and for the coil too 3. CDI ...if the coil and stator pass the CDI would be the most likely culprit but keep in mind that any of these electrica parts are non-refundable or returnable...they all come with a tail light warranty and 4. voltage regulator...there have been the rare occassions that I have seen a spark plug fail under load and do that as well. Your coil under most instances of manufacturers will tell you that the primary winding should be no more than 0.3 Ohms of resistance. Before testing this make absolute sure you know the internal impedance of your meter. On mine when I touch my prongs together I get a natural resistance of 0.5 So if your reading is 0.8 don't panic,you have to minus the meter's impedance to get the right reading...which would be 0.3 and that would be fine. To test it just touch one prong onto the small tab with the little wire on it and the other to the spot where the screws go through the sides of it to ground it. You will get a reading of some description,if not your ground isn't good enough so try something else that is screwed into the frame.

 

Keep the meter handy and measure the resistance when the machine is cold (and likely not to have the problem). Then run the machine until it fails and re-check. Hopefully this will show or exagerate the failed component. This is so speculative that it's not worth mentioning, but if I had to bet, I would guess its the CDI.

Also, inspect all wires that are part of the ignition system.

 

I had a friend who worked on one of those a few months back . We ordered a new CDI box for it and still he had no spark . The next thing we went after was a new stator . Guess what ? We couldn't get one ! What we recieved was a new comeplete ignition . The price was not to bad if I remeber right (around $400) . When we replaced the original ignition parts with the new parts in this *ignition kit* the bike ran like a charm .

I have the part number and can get one of these for you if you like . It is a very odd situation , I haven't ever seen Polaris do something like this .

Rick Ritter

 

I initially thought it might be the CDI unit, but have been told by a couple of dealerships that "they just don't go bad". I have a fluke meter and a factory service manual. I am going to go through the diagnostic process as outlined, but I've also heard that it may not reveal the culprit.

Rick, I am very interested in the "kit" that Polaris sent when you ordered the stator. Let me know if you can get it.

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

Rick, I sent you a PM

 

Yes sir CDI's can go bad at the drop of a hat. They are as unpredictable as a coil or sparkplug, The reason why I know this is becuase I was a Polaris mechanic by profession for over 3 years. The Fluke meter is exactly what the manufacturer recommends you have for doing the electrical testing too so you're on the right track.